Digital control of make-to-order production - a pace-setter in mold making
Euroform | Budapest, Hungary
Buy an automated machine for 24-hour production, and you'll get more throughput with the same manpower. It's not that simple in moldmaking, with its complexity and dynamics in day-to-day business. Efficient production also requires appropriate work organization. Injection mold maker Euroform aligned this with Hummingbird's Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for make-to-order production. Now, work supplies and all data are securely available in the right place at the right time - and machine downtime is reduced.
Since its foundation in 1993 in Budapest, Hungary, Euroform has pursued the goal of manufacturing at the highest technical level. "We want to continuously develop and strive for sustainable, long-term relationships with our customers, suppliers and employees," emphasizes Managing Director Krisztina Zwick.
In the competition for customers, mainly from the demanding automotive industry, every advantage must be exploited. This includes standardization and automation - not easy topics in injection mold making with predominantly individual production and processes that have to be intervened in now and then.
As a rule, the 70 employees at Euroform always have around 50 injection molds in process, whether in design, milling or assembly. The mold consists of 200 to 300 components. For their production, work inventories must be planned and provided "just in time." "Our previous organizational model with a workshop manager keeping track of things reached its limits here - even with the use of Excel spreadsheets," describes Krisztina Zwick. The attempt to better plan and control production with an ERP system also failed.
Since its foundation in 1993, Euroform has been manufacturing injection molds in Budapest, Hungary, aiming at the highest technical level as well as standardization and automation.
“For Euroform, this multi-year reorientation in manufacturing has paid off. Every error less, every saved expenditure of time and costs, every personnel relief by the MES control brings us closer to our goal. Not automation per se, but the greatest possible use of its advantages.”
Managing Director Krisztina Zwick
In search of a planning tool that also meets the requirements of make-to-order production, the company found what it was looking for a good five years ago. In mid-2016, it began implementing software from a provider that specializes in solutions for tool and mold making as well as mechanical and plant engineering: The Nuremberg-based companies Hummingbird Systems and Hummingbird Services jointly developed and sell a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) that is used in particular in make-to-order manufacturing companies with fewer than 15 to more than 400 employees across Europe. Euroform initially used this system for agile production planning and clocked production control. The basic package also included automatic production and machine data acquisition, error and information management as well as the integration of the existing ERP system abas with the inflow of project data and BOM items into the MES and return flow of processing times into the ERP.
In Hummingbird MES, production can be planned and controlled in real-time. At each workstation, it is clear what needs to be processed and in which order.
In the MES, the right data is digitally available at the right time and in the right place in a process-safe manner.
Distributed responsibilities instead of workshop managers
It was clear that software purchase plus training was not enough. "We wanted to create a new work organization with streamlined, secure processes to make the best possible use of the advantages of the MES and the targeted automation," explains Krisztina Zwick. Instead of a workshop manager, the five work groups are now managed with distributed responsibilities. Their tasks, including the sequence, are controlled by the MES, as is the provision of the associated manufacturing information.
The benefits are considerable: Production can now be planned and controlled in real-time so that the right data or the approved information is available digitally at the right time and in the right place. The order status of each component can be seen immediately, and direct intervention is possible if necessary. Thanks to the high level of transparency, sales and project management are now always in the picture in real-time.
The support, consulting and optimization provided by Hummingbird was an important factor in ensuring that the Euroform team was able to familiarize itself well with the comprehensive reorganization. Marcus Kalbacher, Managing Director of Hummingbird Services, knows the problem not only from the example of Euroform: "In single part and small batch production, MES are often still uncharted territory. There are only a few, they usually originate from series production or commercial ERP software and cannot optimally map the dynamics in mold making. They are too rigid and cumbersome in planning and control for this industry. Our smart MES, on the other hand, is as fast and agile as its namesake, the hummingbird. Thanks to its agile methods, the production of small batches can be planned and controlled efficiently and flexibly."
The processing status of each component can be viewed in real-time in the Hummingbird MES, and direct intervention is possible if necessary.
The initial successes prompted Euroform to gradually expand its MES in the years that followed, culminating in a holistic production management system. This initially included the integration of the CAM system including the connection of all machining centers.
Whereas the NC programs were previously transferred manually from the server to the control system, the digital NC program management of the Hummingbird MES now transfers the NC data securely to the corresponding machine. KPI monitoring was also integrated, which visualizes key performance indicators tailored to the various managers online.
Step-by-step expansion of the MES
To further reduce machine downtime and increasingly realize automated operation, Euroform expanded the Hummingbird MES in the third step with central mold management including control of mold logistics. This put an end to the time-consuming manual preparation and calibration of each mold in the machine. Whereas a machine operator previously had to organize the missing tools for machining himself, this is now done by a tool supplier - commissioned by the CAM staff at an early stage via MES, and also by the machine operator himself at short notice. This has reduced downtimes and significantly increased machine productivity. At the same time, a high level of safety is achieved: Tool data is now transferred to the machine via MES and no longer has to be entered manually at the control, which reduces the risk of errors and consequently of damage. So far, the last step has been a switch to the hyperMILL® CAM software. In the course of the hyperMILL® integration into the Hummingbird MES, further preparations for the acquisition of a new automated production machine with a pallet changer were implemented. Thus, the MES now also controls the external NC program simulation via the Vericut software. The process and data flow for this is completely automated. Thanks to this process automation in the background, 100 percent of the NC programs are now simulated and not just random samples as before. This increases safety enormously, especially concerning an automation system.
The injection molds consist of 200 to 300 components. Thanks to the Hummingbird MES, the components arrive "just in time" for assembly.
For Euroform, this multi-year realignment in manufacturing has paid off. Every error less, every saved expenditure of time and costs, and every personnel relief by the MES control brings us closer to our goal. Not automation per se, but the greatest possible use of its advantages, Krisztina Zwick sums up. The results are clear: The new digital production management saves a lot of time and increases safety as well as transparency for the right decisions.
Marcus Kalbacher advises: "With agile planning, control and real-time transparency, holistic manufacturing management can be achieved step by step. Whether small or large: with such a project, a suitable MES always acts as a clear pacesetter in the digital age."
Photos: Euroform